"The grade that I got back was a very good grade and I thought it was the best situation for me and my family and I feel at this point in time I'm ready for the NFL," Jamison said on a conference call. "Actually, [the grade] surprised me. I thought it was going to be a little lower. I was excited for that. I feel like we made the best decision and that's why I decided to leave."

Jamison said he talked to former Rutgers star Ray Rice before making his decision. Like Rice, he isn't big at 5-8, 200 pounds.

"Jawan has been an exciting player for us during his career," Rutgers coach Kyle Flood said. "He is a running back with tremendous vision, great balance and has the gift to make people miss in the open field. We wish Jawan well as he begins his journey to play in the NFL."

Jamison rushed for 1,075 yards this season despite a bum right ankle in his final three games. Only two other Scarlet Knights backs had rushed for that many yards since 1976. He also had four touchdowns and caught 28 passes for 323 yards.

"I feel like I can catch it out of the backfield, I feel like I can run between the tackles or outside and I can pass protect, too," he said. "I feel like I can do it all."

First in line to replace him is Savon Huggins, who had a career-best 179 yards on 41 carries against Cincinnati.

Jamison is the sixth player since 2008 to leave the school early for the draft. Cornerback Logan Ryan also decided to leave school recently. He was a redshirt sophomore.

For his career, Jamison rushed for 1,972 yards and 13 touchdowns in 25 games.

Rutgers coach Kyle Flood says Jamison "has tremendous vision, great balance and has the gift to make people miss in the open field."